For more than 50 years, the Salk Institute has been at the forefront of biological research. Whether in neurobiology, cancer, metabolism, plant biology or myriad other fields, Salk leads the way, transforming how humanity understands the world in which we live. Salk’s leadership in foundational biological research includes:
1955
Jonas Salk, founder, unveils the first safe, effective polio vaccine
1962
Francis Crick, Salk founding fellow, wins the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the structure of DNA and its role in information transfer in living material
1966
Suzanne Bourgeois joins the Salk Institute and goes on to establish the Regulatory Biology Laboratory and conduct pioneering work on the regulation of gene expression
1968
Robert W. Holley wins the Nobel Prize for the interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis
1970
Catherine Rivier joins the Salk Institute, where she identified a large number of hormonal functions and new endocrine pathways throughout the body
1975
Renato Dulbecco wins the Nobel Prize for discoveries concerning the interaction between tumor viruses and the genetic material of the cell
1977
Roger Guillemin wins the Nobel Prize for discoveries concerning the peptide-hormone production of the brain
1979
Tony Hunter and Bart Sefton discover tyrosine phosphorylation, which leads to the creation of a class of cancer drugs known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (e.g., Gleevec, Iressa, Tarceva)
1981
Wylie Vale and colleagues discover, isolate and characterize corticotropin-releasing hormone, involved in the body’s response to stress
1982
Stephen Heinemann and colleagues clone first nicotinic receptor gene, providing a critical tool to pursue receptors on brain cells
1985
Ursula Bellugi leads the way to the watershed discovery that the left hemisphere of the brain becomes specialized for languages, both spoken and signed
1985
Ronald Evans discovers a large family of molecules, called nuclear hormone receptors, that respond to various steroid and thyroid hormones as well as vitamins, revealing primary targets in the treatment of many cancers
1989
Terrence Sejnowski and colleagues demonstrate a brain change (long-term depression) thought to be critical to memory formation
2002
Sydney Brenner wins the Nobel Prize for discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death
2002
Rusty Gage discovers that the adult brain continues producing new neurons throughout the life span in a process called neurogenesis, contrary to accepted dogma
2003
Reuben Shaw discovers that a gene altered in some lung cancers regulates an enzyme used in therapies for diabetes, paving the way for new treatments
2014
Susan Kaech discovers a way to inhibit tumor growth in melanoma and lung cancer by stimulating a certain cell receptor in animal models, with implications for new human therapies
2017
Joanne Chory wins the Breakthrough Prize for her pioneering work deciphering how plants optimize their growth, development and cellular structure to transform sunlight into chemical energy
2017
Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte and his team discover a new type of stem cell that may help overcome a major hurdle in growing replacement organs for humans
